


Bathing Beauty

by soupypictures



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Bathtubs, Caretaking, F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23178937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soupypictures/pseuds/soupypictures
Summary: Harry's been sick, but now he's well enough for a bath. So you bathe him.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	Bathing Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> Rested demanded 500 words of Harry being bathed. When I write in second person I try to leave it as unobtrusive a POV as possible so not to throw any reader off with exclusionary details. This is why I've tagged it M/M, F/M, and Other.

“No, you’re sick. Sit still.”

“I can wash my own hair—”

“You will not. Stop it.”

He dropped his hands from _right in your way_ into his lap, the splash of water disrupting the soapy screen and providing a peek underneath the surface. He really did need a wash. Bed-ridden for a few days fighting off a nasty flu, Harry had steadily descended into a stale, sweaty lump in the middle of the bed. You’d relocated to the guest room to avoid catching his sickness in the night, taking care of him in the hours you weren’t at work. Sheets washed and Harry on the back side of the illness, you were looking forward to sharing the bed with him again and making use of all the bits obscured by the bath soap.

He tilted his head back obligingly and you poured the warm water over his greasy hair from your perch on the edge of the bathtub. You were worried that all of this mother henning and seeing him in such a pitiful state was going to put you off of him for longer than you could handle, but the twinkle in Harry’s eye as you poured his shampoo in your hands and pushed them through his ratty curls … yeah, he still did it for you. _Fuck_.

“Stop that,” you ordered, working the rose-scented soap into a lather in his hair.

“Stop what?” he ask in equal measures faux innocence and indignation.

“Stop it with your eyes, looking at me like that. You could still be shedding virus. None of that for you.”

He winced. “Shedding virus. That’s gross.”

“You’re telling me! That’s what you’ve been doing for days now. It hasn’t exactly been a vacation taking care of you and your snotrags.” It _hadn’t_ been a vacation, but it had been satisfying on a level you hadn’t expected. You were able to make him feel better, make him well, and keep him safe.

His hands reached up for yours and you let him have them. “Thank you,” he said seriously. “You didn’t have to do this for me, you know.”

There’s something about staring into his eyes when he had all his attention on you that flustered you every time, no matter how much practice you had combating his charm overload. “I know. But I wanted to.” You let the heat rise through your chest for a delicious moment before snatching your hands back and finishing the lathering job. “No more being sick, okay? It sucks to see you being so pathetic. Put your head back.”

He complied and with one hand you combed your fingers through the detangling strands while you tilted the cup of bathwater over his head. You had plenty of practice not washing shampoo into eyes. Your nieces begged for you at bathtime when you went to visit them. It was different with Harry, of course, but the basic skills transferred well. You loved doing this to him, too, for completely different reasons. 

Finished, you set the cup on the floor. “Alright, my part is done.”

“ _Your_ part?” he questioned, gaping at you when you pulled the plug to drain the bathwater.

“You get to wash the rest.”

“Heyyyy!”

“Oh, _now_ you want my help?”

He pouted as the water level dropped to his thighs. “I liked your hands in my hair. I’d like your hands _elsewhere_ —”

You stood up and dried your hands on a towel. “Virus. Shedding.”

“Come on!”

You left him there and pulled the shower curtain around. “The sooner you get yourself cleaned up the sooner we can make the bed with clean sheets and the sooner we can cuddle. But _just_ cuddle.” You pointed at him sternly even though he couldn’t see you through the curtain. 

“If I can _sleep_ with you, how is _sleeping_ with you any different?” he whined. You heard him shuffle in the last of the water and stand, the water running for a moment before he twisted the knob to turn it over to shower. 

“You’ll fall asleep before we get anywhere,” you said loudly over the running water. “I won’t let you start anything you can’t finish.”

“Fine then!” he tossed back. “But you’d better be ready for me tomorrow.”

You rolled your eyes even as you flushed with heat. He wouldn’t have to worry about that, not at all.

**Author's Note:**

> lol. come see me at yessoupy on tumblr. i hope your pandemic is uneventful.


End file.
